


Magic Fingers

by BansheeLydia



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Hairdresser Kira, Minor Erica Reyes/Stiles Stilinski, Werecoyote Malia Tate, Witch Allison, Witch Kira Yukimura, witch erica
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 15:17:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9826121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BansheeLydia/pseuds/BansheeLydia
Summary: “Rumor has it that you’re a hairdresser with magic fingers and you can fix any bad hair day so that’s why I’m here."





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ericaismeg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/gifts).



The salon is small, tucked between a dollar store and an empty sandwich shop on an out-of-the-way street on the outskirts of town. 

She’s never even seen it before and it doesn’t stand out; it’s painted white with a clean window displaying hair products and a sign that reads _Electricity Hair Studio_ in stark black letters. Malia glances down at the card in her fingers.

It’s as simple as the studio’s sign, stating the name and address and number. Underneath the neat typing is Lydia’s slanted handwriting: _Ask for Kira!_

Flipping it between her fingers, Malia shrugs and heads inside. It’s comfortably warm and smells of hair products and warm hair and shampoo, with an undercurrent of coffee and something else, something that crackles like electricity and tickles Malia’s nose. She’s pretty sure it’s not noticeable to most people; even with her coyote nose, she can barely detect it. 

The salon is small and bright, with squishy chairs and large gilded framed mirrors and shiny floors. It’s lit by bulbs in mason jars hanging from the ceiling and a long, polished counter curves along a wall to Malia’s right. At one of the stations, a guy is getting his hair trimmed by a woman with big blonde curls and eyes that, just for a second, gleam violet under the fairy lights around the mirror before settling back to a warm brown. 

There’s a girl behind the counter with artfully messy brown curls and a smile that shows dimples when she aims it at Malia.

“Hi, can I help you?”

“I...kind of have an emergency.” Malia waves a hand towards the beanie she’s wearing. “I was hoping to get an appointment with Kira?”

The girl nods with another bright smile, leaning over to tap at the computer. “You’re in luck,” she says. “She has a free slot right now.” 

“Oh...sure. That’d be great.”

“Take a seat. Can I get you a drink? Coffee?”

Before Malia can reply, or sit down on the elegant couch by the counter, movement catches her eye and she turns, looking at the girl now approaching the counter. Malia hadn’t heard or seen her come out of anywhere. But just as that thought crosses her mind, she can suddenly hear the quiet tap of the girl’s shoes on the floor, can smell coconut-scented shampoo and sweet perfume and a softer undercurrent of electricity.

She’s a little shorter than Malia and wearing trim black jeans and a blue off the shoulder shirt that bears the studio’s logo. Her dark hair is set in perfect waves around her shoulders and her face is bright and open when she smiles at Malia.

She’s _gorgeous_.

“I’m Kira,” she says and her voice is warm as her smile. “Come on over.”

Malia manages a quick smile back, still a little awestruck as she follows Kira over to one of the stations, sitting down in the comfy chair. 

“So, it’s an emergency?” Kira asks, meeting Malia’s gaze in the large mirror.

Kira definitely hadn’t been around when Malia told the girl at the counter that and the girl hadn’t mentioned it when Kira appeared. Malia focuses and just catches the subtle violet gleam in dark eyes under the mason jar lights as Kira offers her a quick wink.

_“Ask for Kira,”_ Lydia had said when she’d given Malia the card, _“She has magic fingers.”_

Magic fingers.

Right.

Trust Lydia to recommend a not-so-human hair salon. Malia’s encountered some nasty witches in her time, but the scent of their magic is different, less electric and more like ozone and fire. The air around them feels slick, greasy like oil. Nothing feels wrong here, though, and Lydia is one of the few people in Malia’s life that she trusts completely.  
So Malia just reaches up and tugs off her beanie, shrugging in embarrassment when her hair tumbles down. 

Some chunks chopped almost too her chin, others almost reaching her collarbone. In some places, all of the blonde has been snipped away, leaving just brown, but the longer strands are still tipped with it. It’s a _mess_.

“Holy shit,” the blonde hairdresser says from across the room. “Did you get gum in your hair or something?”

“Erica,” Kira chides gently, reaching out to lightly run her fingers through Malia’s hair, checking the length of the shortest chunks. “But seriously, who _did_ this to you?”

Malia shifts slightly in her seat, embarrassed. “I did. I just...got fed up with it so I tried cutting it myself. I guess a future in hairdressing isn’t on my cards.”

She doesn’t add that she’d been having a bad day. Sometimes, the wild creeps back over her, the urge to be on four legs instead of two, the overwhelming burn of just wanting to run and hunt and slip back to what she was for so many years: just a coyote. She’s mostly connected her wild side to her human one, but there are days when she struggles. Yesterday had been one of those days, just looking at her long human hair and wanting to cut it all off. So she did. Or at least she _tried_.

Kira meets her gaze again and the understanding there makes something warm unfurl in Malia’s chest. She relaxes, unable to look away as Kira gives her a sweet smile.

“Alright,” she says, tucking the longer chunks back so Malia can see the shorter ones. “To tidy it up, I’ll have to cut it all to this length. But we have options. You can go shorter, a pixie style, or I can do a bob. I can show you some different styles if you like?”

She grabs a tablet from the counter, opening it and flicking through some pictures before turning it so Malia can look. 

“How about this?” she asks.

It’s...“It’s perfect.”

Kira grins back and sets the tablet back on the counter. “Okay. I’m gonna cut it to one length dry and then wash it.”

She’s quiet as she brushes out Malia’s hair and then starts snipping. Malia can’t help but watch her in the mirror. She works almost fluidly, but her lower lip is pulled between her teeth as she focuses, cutting the longer strands until Malia’s hair is the same length. It feels lighter already; still a little messy, but so much better. 

Kira takes her to a little washing station at the back and the water warm and soothing. She massages the shampoo in and Lydia wasn’t kidding about magic fingers; her touch is firm and relaxing, so _good_ , and Malia closes her eyes, practically melting. She almost groans when Kira stops, rinses her hair, and focuses on conditioning it, clever fingers combing it through so her hair doesn’t tangle. 

Erica and the guy are gone when they get back to the station, but the girl with the dimples is still behind the counter, doing something at the computer. Soft music plays over speakers; Malia sits down and Kira tucks a cape over her before combing out her damp hair.

“It’s not often we get weres here,” she says conversationally, gaze on her comb and scissors as she starts snipping. “And I’ve never met a werecoyote. You’re Lydia’s friend, right?”

“Yeah,” Malia replies. “I bet you don’t get many banshees, either.”

Kira grins. “Lydia would be the only one,” she agrees.

“Do you only cater to supernaturals?”

She laughs. “Beacon Hills may seem like a melting pot of us sups, but there’s not actually _that_ many around here. We’d rarely have clients.” She combs through Malia’s hair briefly with her fingers and Malia has to fight the urge to close her eyes. “We mostly see humans. Sometimes they’re humans like Stiles, who are in the know. His best friend is a werewolf.”

“Stiles?”

“Erica’s fiancé. The guy you saw earlier.” Kira gives Malia a brief smile in the mirror. “But we do get our occasional werewolf or banshee. Or coyote.”

“What about witches?”

Kira’s smile brightens. “Good nose, but, no. The only witches around here are in my coven and we all work here. That’s Erica, Cora, Braeden and Allison – she saw you when you came in. And me.”

“Witches have different affinities for things, right?” Malia asks curiously. “Is hairdressing one of them?”

“I wish, but no.” Kira pauses, gently pulls out the pieces of hair either side of Malia’s face, checking the length before she continues, “We’re all different, but it’s why our bonds as a coven are so strong. Allison’s is healing magic, Braeden’s strength is protection magic, Cora’s is defensive spells. Erica’s affinity is for potions.”

“What’s yours?”

Kira ducks her head slightly with a smile, her eyes glinting violet. The tingle of electricity flares, itching Malia’s nose until she scrunches it up, and the lights in the room flicker, a lamp in the corner turning on by itself. 

“That’s awesome,” Malia breathes. 

Kira’s grin is a little shy. She strokes her fingers through Malia’s hair again. “Hairdressing is just something that feels...right. I like it and I like helping people. The others fell into it after we formed a coven and here we are. Magic actually helps a lot with styling hair, especially when I have to pull off a miracle to do the perfect style.”

“Magic fingers,” Malia says with a grin.

Kira’s eyes have a wicked sparkle in them when she meets Malia’s gaze again. “Magic fingers,” she agrees. 

A quiet clatter draws Malia’s attention to Erica as she sets down a cup and saucer on the counter in front of her. The scent of coffee thickens the air and there’s a delicious, gooey looking brownie perched on the edge of the saucer. Erica’s gone again a second later and Kira pauses so Malia can pick up the brownie, taking a bite.

“Oh my god.”

“Like I said,” Kira grins, “Erica’s got an affinity for potions. That skill carries over to baking pretty well. Her muffins are to die for.”

Malia glances in the mirror to where Erica’s clearing up her station, all tall, spiky heels and bright red lipstick. 

“Erica bakes?”

“Not many people know that. She doesn’t like people knowing she’s actually a total softie inside. It ruins her image.”

Erica mutters something under her breath that even Malia can’t quite catch, but it makes Kira smirk slightly, an adorable, mischievous smile that sends butterflies fluttering in Malia’s stomach.

She clears her throat. “So, uh...Lydia. You know her.”

“She comes in every couple of months for a trim. If I’m lucky, she’ll let me style it, too. She’s pretty strict about her hair, not that I blame her.” Kira pauses, a quick _snip snip snip_. “She talks about you a lot.”

“She does?”

“Nothing personal. She said you like your privacy.” Kira fluffs Malia’s hair slightly before stroking through it again. “But she said you’re gorgeous and perceptive and really just unfairly adorable.”

“Adorable?” Malia repeats, raising an eyebrow.

“Adorable,” Kira confirms, meeting Malia’s gaze. “And she was right.”

Malia opens her mouth, then closes it again, stunned. She thinks about how Lydia hadn’t even freaked out when she saw Malia’s hair, just smiled and gave her the card. She thinks of the little mentions of Kira she’d dropped into conversation over the last few months, about how talented Kira was, how funny she was, how nice she seemed.

She can’t help but smile. “Lydia’s been trying to set us up.”

“She’s not as subtle as she thinks, huh?” Kira laughs, picking up a hairdresser.

She dries Malia’s hair and straightens most of it, but curls the bangs on one side. When she’s finished, she sets it with some light hairspray and rests her hands gently on Malia’s shoulders.

“What do you think?”

“It’s...perfect,” Malia says softly. It’s gorgeous and will be easy to maintain, and it satisfies a part of her that’s been restless lately, the wilder part of her that hated her long hair. “I love it. Thank you.”

“Magic fingers,” Kira sing-songs, whisking the apron away so Malia can stand. 

Malia spends another moment taking in her new hair before following Kira to the counter. Allison processes the payment, but when Malia tries to give a tip, Kira grins, shaking her head.

“Take me to dinner instead,” she suggests warmly. 

Malia’s heart flutters and she smiles back. “Are you free tonight?”

“She’s free now,” Allison pipes up, grinning when Kira swats at her shoulder. 

“Well, in that case,” Malia leans against the counter, reaching out to toy with one of Kira’s curls. “Maybe I can take you to lunch.”

**Author's Note:**

> allirica.tumblr.com - I'm currently accepting prompts :)


End file.
